Back in 1985, a Catholic teenager deserted his parish church to attend services at the church of another denomination, must to his mother's dismay.

”I hear you're going to another church,” his parish priest said. “Is it because of the pope?” “No the youth replied, “I think the pope is a very good man, very holy.” The priest fished around a little more and finally the reason came out. “In all the time I've been going to church, no one has ever said hello to me. No one has ever reached out, or said, `Glad you're here.' I'm going to this other denomination now, I don't even know what they believe, but every time I go, someone says hi to me and someone says, `I'm glad you're here,'” the youth said.

The story, retold by Andy Costantine, Life Teen coordinator for Holy Trinity Catholic Church, explains the reason behind the development of the Life Teen program in Mesa, Ariz. by the Rev. Dale Fushek. Today, there are more than 500 Life Teen parishes around the world, each dedicated to providing social, spiritual and educational opportunities to Catholic teens through hospitality.

Life Teen is an integral part of parish life at Holy Trinity in Peachtree City and Saint Gabriel's in Fayetteville. Centered on the Eucharistic celebration of the Mass on Sunday evening, high school students join hands and worship together to the upbeat sounds of the Life Teen band. The Mass is usually followed by a meeting or activity such as the recent Life Teen Olympics, tonight's pot luck supper, or the all-day youth rally set for Sept. 12.

During the week, members often attend midweek Mass, volunteer at the Clothes Less Traveled Thrift Shop or engage in Bible study; any way teens can stay connected to God and live a life of faith.

Costantine comes to Holy Trinity after serving seven years as a Life Teen in a parish of comparable size in Baltimore, Md. His route to a life in youth ministry has been an interesting one. Born and raised in Baltimore, Costantine moved to Tampa, Fla. in his middle school years and stayed in the area through college, where he trained to be a chef.

“I worked in a four-star resort with a crew of very elite chefs. I apprenticed with them for four years. That experience shaped me in a big way, especially in the ways that I work now. You learn to work as a team, and you really have to discipline yourself and please people,” Costantine said. He claims church work is a “piece of cake” compared to resort work, only without all the available resources.

After a brief period of agnosticism, Costantine experienced a big turn-around and embraced his faith in a whole different way. Eventually, he decided to dedicate his life to “something more meaningful than flipping hamburgers,” and returned to school to earn a master's degree in theology. Ministering to youth appealed to him, and Life Teen has enabled him to incorporate his hospitality skills as well as drawing out his creativity.

So far, Costantine has organized a shipwreck party, a one-night Olympics, a summer retreat and a number of volleyball games. He even allowed the Vacation Bible School teachers to dress him as a smiling Veggie Tale cucumber.

But through all the crazy antics, his goal is to reach as many teens in the parish as possible. With 500 teens on church's rolls, and 50 or more regular Life Teen members, he has his work cut out for him.

“All events are by invitation. My job is to keep them informed about what is going on and allow them to socialize together as Christians,” Costantine said.

For information about Life Teen, phone the religious education office at Holy Trinity at 770-487-0175.

Back to News Home Page | Back to the top of the page